Technically We're Sisters
by Technobabble1
Summary: Evie goes to talk to the one other person who may have a perspective on her infamous mother. Evie has so much to talk about, but will this other person accept her? Find out!
1. Chapter 1

Technically we're sisters.

Author's Note. I do Not own Descendants, it is the Intellectual Property of Disney. And It is Awesome!

On parent's day Evie was a little bit put out. Her own mother barely got to talk to her, as it was mostly Mal and Carlos's respective moms who got to talk. Evie wouldn't even really know what to say to her mother anyway. "Hi mom, I know you raised me to find a prince. But this half dwarf is so sweet to me, and he's smart, and it turns out I'm smart too. Turns out I'm really good at memorizing science stuff and solving math problems, and now that I have access to better fabric I think my sewing has gotten even better." Yeah… All Mommy would hear is "I gave up finding a handsome prince, I'm dating the offspring of one of the dwarfs that actually killed you years ago, and I've been spending my time reading and sewing instead of climbing the social ladder or finding a more suitable mate." Ugh!

Evie was annoyed! Nobody at Auradon prep knew what it would be like to be raised by someone like her mother. It seemed that the entirety of the student body came from stable family structures where expectations were high but reasonable and where there was constant love and encouragement. Nobody had any experience dealing with a mother like Grimhilde…except. OMG! Evie decided it was time to talk to a relative.

The campus was abuzz as the parents of the students flouted around doting on their offspring, complimenting their friends, and doing a constant game of one-upmanship on who could be the nicest and sweetest. Evie knew she didn't really belong, still there was someone there who she had to talk to. Doug invited her to meet Dopey but Evie politely blew him off afraid of his father and six uncles disapproving of her. it was a bad excuse Evie considering who Evie was seeking out, but it was the best she could rationalize in her head.

Evie scanned the courtyard. Lonnie was showing off her long light hair to her mom. Chad was acting out his dominant tourney games in front of his parents. Ben was introducing his parents to Mal. But it was a pale (but not sallow, it was a beautiful ivory pale) ebony haired mother in a yellow dress sitting with her equally colored son and daughter that caught her attention. The daughter was a good bit younger than Evie, too young to attend school, while the son who she knew as Frankie was Evie's age. Frankie was handsome despite his pallor and a prince, so Evie should have tried to have more interaction with him, but for obvious reasons the two tried to avoid each other. Evie took a deep breath and walked towards the loving mother; Snow White.

"Um excuse me. Mrs. White?" Evie asked as she interrupted.

Snow White turned around "Hello there sweetie. How can I… *gasp* help you?" Evie knew Snow White recognized her instantly, but was feigning ignorance. "Have we met?"

Evie flashed the smile that her mother had polished and bleached to perfection all her life. "No Ma'am. I'm Evie. My mother is Queen Grimhilde." Evie paused. What she was about to say sounded much more pathetic in her mind now than it did it when she thought it up, "I think technically that means I'm your step sister."

"Please to meet you." Snow White said as turned towards her offspring. "Why don't you all go say hello to the dwarves." She turned back to Evie. "Pull up a seat Evie. I've been wondering when I'd get the chance to talk to you."

Evie sat down across her 'step sister'. Did she really need to introduce herself like THAT? Oh boy. "I've been wondering that myself. "

Snow white straightened herself in her chair. "How is your mother?"

Evie replied. "She's doing alright. She's put on some weight, and talks to herself since the mirror won't work. But she's alive and safe."

"Still obsessed with her looks?" Snow White asked. It would be a rude and intrusive question if they were talking about anyone else.

Evie rolled her eyes. "Actually she's focused on MY looks. I learned how to coordinate make up tones before I learned the alphabet. I was Little Miss, and miss teen Isle of the Lost five times in total."

"You are pretty though" Snow white retorted. "I'm actually glad she wants you to be beautiful."

Evie was a bit started by that revelation. "Why?"

"It means she wants you to live and attract a boy. When she was raising me she was scared I'd be prettier than her once I grew up. She got so caught up in that. At least she see's you as an heir instead of a rival."

Quickly Evie cut her off "Yeah I know the story. Mommy told me it so many times."

Snow white nodded gently. "Did she ever mention the part where I really respected her? Did she know how sad I was when she died?"

WHAT! Evie's brain practically exploded. Snow White was sad that the Evil Queen died? Snow White respected her? Evie struggled to sound nonchalant "No that never really came up."

Snow white released a gentle smile. "Grimhilde was a brilliant woman. I never met someone who loved to read so much until I met Belle. After my father died she ran the kingdom, and while the courtiers feared her personally, the nation's GPD and quality of life were high and the crime rate was low. Nobody mentions that."

Confusion racked its way around Evie's brain, "Mom never really talked about that." She said in a voice somewhere between a yelp and wimper.

"It's a shame she never took pride in being a good monarch. She was so obsessed with her beauty that she never realized all the other wonderful things about herself. Also she was a good monarch but not a very popular one; Taxes were high, government funds went towards infrastructure instead of whatever pet projects were popular at the time, she never made public appearances, and then there was the whole black magic thing." Snow White regained her train of thought when she saw Evie was suffering from data overload, still reeling from someone actually having something nice to say about her mother. "But I know that even if she was a decent queen she wasn't a great mother. I'm sorry that you probably didn't have the luck of a nursemaid or governess to give you the affection and guidance that she wouldn't." Evie wondered if her issues with her mother were really that transparent for that awkward transition to be justified.

Evie thought for a moment. "Not much affection, but way too much guidance. With no magic to study or kingdoms to run, it all became about living through me, my beauty and maybe someday me marrying up and off the island. All she wanted was for me to be a good little princess, and to someday be a good wife to whatever prince will save me."

"Be a good wife?" Snow white was shocked. "When did she start telling you about that?"

"When I was really little. If I wasn't living to please her, I was living to learn how to please my future husband. I learned how to cook, clean, sew, and way more about child care than I should have as a kid myself."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that kind of expectation." Snow White nodded. "Maybe she was trying to raise you to be what she knew she never was."

Evie already had guessed as much. "She wasn't a good wife to your father?" Evie asked.

"Actually I remember she and my father were very happy until he passed. He was a little turned off by how ruthless she was, but it did help the kingdom." Snow white read Evie's face. "Was she to your father?" Evie shook her head. Snow asked "Who was your father?"

"Honestly I don't know." Evie then leaned closely so nobody could overhear "Personally I think my dad is Hades."

Snow white hissed, "Hades?"

"Think about it." Evie smiled a little bit and twirled her blue hair.

"Oh." Snow white answered. "I guess that makes you princess of the underworld?"

Evie shook her head. The first thing Evie did after discovering the Auradon library was try to prove Audrey wrong. It backfired "No. No matter what my mother claims, I'm not really a princess. I checked. Grimhilde's reign is not recognized as legitimate; instead she was acting as Regent in your stead. So technically she was never really ruler, and thus her line has no weight or titles."

Snow white nodded. "When my husband and I had her reign expunged, we didn't know that she'd come back from the dead. Or have any children. We were trying to make sure none of her cousins nieces of nephews would say they had a claim to my throne." Evie remembered that her mother came from low ranking nobility, and had family in Auradon who wielded a small amount of political power, probably disenfranchised by Snow White's family after Grimhilde's death. "But I'm going to talk to Parliament about you."

"Why?" Evie's eyes burst to a size she never thought she could achieve. "I mean. Being a princess would be really cool, But I'm not legitimate."

"Technically not through your mother. But you're my step-sister. And despite what Cinderella may think, I thing step-siblings are part of a family. Therefore your part my family, and therefore royal." Snow White sounding wise and politically savvy was a bit jarring with her high pitched cutesy voice.

Evie wasn't going to say anything to jeopardize this offer. "Thank you!" Evie exclaimed. "Thank you So much."

Snow White leaned in close. "Don't say anything about it until you hear back from me. I can't promise they'll allow you a title. And even if they do you'll have no claim to my son's throne. " Evie wouldn't allow herself to look disappointed. "Still. Know that your sister is looking out for you." Snow White reached in for a hug.

Evie glomped onto Snow White. "Thank you So much!" Evie shed a few tears.

Mal's voice rang "Hey Evie. Ben's family is starting a croquett game. Come on." Evie unhitched from Snow White. "I got to go. But it was nice meeting you."

"Take care of yourself Evie." Snow White said as Evie began to walk away. "Oh and Evie…"

"Yeah?" The blue haired girl replied.

"Next time you see your mother. Tell her I forgive her." the words filled with an amazing amount of sincerity.

Evie smiled. "I promise I will. Good by Snow." Evie waved her fingers.

"Goodbye. Sis."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: despite trying to cash in my shares of Disney Stock for the rights to the Descendant's franchise (It was a long shot) I do not own Descendants. Any ideas here that aren't in the book or movie are mine and I will make no profit off them. The heavy positive response I got has inspired me to keep this going for a while, and installments will roughly alternate between this and my current pet project of Star Trek Voyager: Third Shift. Feel free to read both, but I promise updates for "Technically we're sisters" are forthcoming.

Chapter 2: The Cheshire cat is out of the bag.

Evie sat down at the lunch table with Mal, Ben, Jay and Carlos (and thus Dude). It had been about three days since Ben's coronation and thus the fight with Mal's mother. Evie still hadn't heard back from Snow White on if there was any chance of legitimizing her into Snow's royal family, and quietly let that matter slide out of her mind. It was a nice thought to nurse, but when you grow up on the Isle of the Lost, you learn to give up implausible dreams fairly quickly. Also Evie had other things on her mind, things she really wished she could just stop thinking about.

In between chomping bites of strawberries Mal asked the table, "Anything interesting going on for you guys?"

"Fairy Godmother is letting me get credit for working at the pound. Should bring my GPA up a bit."

"Aren't you already three point six or something?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. But if I want to go to veterinary school, I need as high of grades as I can get." Carlos answered. Evie smiled. In a few weeks Carlos had gone from pronounced Cynophobia (That's a word to win scrabble with Evie mused) to wanting to help and preserve the lives of dogs as a career.

Jay grinned. "Coach offered me summer board to coach the kid's summer tourney team, and the schedule will allow me to play the community league." Again Evie was happy for her friend. Not only did that mean Jay wouldn't have to go back to the island, but he'd get more experience playing his beloved game. Rumors were even going around of college scholarships.

Mal devoured another strawberry; Evie wasn't counting but guessed that she was up to six this meal. "So Evie. What about you. Any news?"

Evie shook her head. "Not really. I'm a bit mad at Doug. I may call things off, but right now I'm just mulling it over."

Mal, who as her roommate already knew this, asked "Why. I thought you two patched everything up at the big dance after the Coronation." Mal was clearly hoping for actual details instead of being told 'its fine' after a phone call.

"That's just it. Doug's the first decent boyfriend I've ever had." Evie previous list of dalliances include one of Gaston's sons, Captain Hook's newest cabin boy, and a musically inclined but emotionally brain dead cousin of Carlos'. "But things are going too easy. Is it wrong to want a little thunder?"

Jay smiled smugly, for a guy who didn't want to be his father Jay sure had inherited his dad's arrogance. "You're just getting out of the honeymoon stage, so you're thinking about the relationship too critically. If it's not fun anymore just let it go. There are a dozen guys here who'll gladly step into the breach."

Evie rolled her eyes. "It's that attitude why half the girls at our old school hate you."

"Excuse me princess." Jay bit back. It was a particularly annoying phrase to Evie, who didn't like being reminded of her lack of a royal title, especially not now.

This was when things got bad. Audrey, who despite deciding to dance with Jay at the coronation ball, had decided to get back together with Chad the day after, and still didn't quite understand a world outside her own pristine upbringing asked in a shocked voice "Is it true?"

Mal bit off half of strawberry number seven. She looked at Evie, then Jay, and then Audrey "is what true Audrey?'

"Did Evie really get legitimized into Snow White's line?" Audrey asked, her voice sounding completely innocently ignorant.

Evie buried her face into her own hands, embarrassed that this little secret was out. Audrey seemed innocently ignorant that it was a private matter."How did you hear that was even a thing?"

Mal starred gap jawed at Evie. "You petitioned Snow White for a title? You talked to Snow White?"

Evie sunk deeper into her hands. "It just kind of happened. She's the only other person who could have understood what it was like to be raised by my mom. And…and…" Her hands still hiding her face, Evie scurried off. She was mortified. She'd had hoped that Snow White was actually being serious. Being a real princess was a far more tangible girlhood dream for her than it would be for most girls. In fact she honestly and earnestly thought it was true until a few weeks ago. All she had wanted was to meet the step sister whose legacy had haunted her since birth and she ended up with a politically charged secret she didn't want spilled. Running away was really the only option she could think of.

Mal, her mind honed by years of training AKA her childhood, started thinking of how to handle this situation. First she needed to gauge the room and her friends. Audrey had turned on her wedge heel and scurried off. Jay clenched his fist and walked away, probably to do some free running around campus while he pondered why Evie would keep a secret from them. Mal knew that Jay had some trust issues and didn't like being kept in the dark and felt particularly betrayed when those he considered friends omitted important information.

Mal saw that Carlos was spinning through a dozen facial expressions, not sure which exaggerated visage would best display his mixed and evolving feelings. Carlos's brain worked fast, but that sometimes meant he could wrap himself up in a maze of his own thoughts. If something particularly fazed him, He'd analyze tangents and implications and run through a thousand ways things could go for minutes at a time. He was harmless until he got snapped out of it and pointed in a particular direction. It always intrigued Mal that he seemed in perfect control of his brain committing crime, playing sports, and during tests, but that he shut down like this when odd social situations didn't compute. Cruella really messed the kid up!

Ben just looked to Mal, hoping that his new girlfriend could guide him through the current situation which Mal guessed he felt he should have know more about. Ben tried to speak up, but Mal just put her finger to his lips. "Don't say, do or think anything!" She glared at Carlos "You either." It was time for Mal to go back to her roots. Mal ignored Evie, deciding to handle that conversation in its own time. She went over to the princess's table where Audrey was sitting with her perfectly coiffed friends. Mal grabbed Audrey by the pastel pink puff of her dress's shoulder. "We need to talk. Come with me." Audrey tensed up. Mal decided to channel the people skills her mother taught her, "NOW!" she hissed in the fear inducing tone her mom had taught her as soon as her voice was mature enough.

Audrey whimpered a little, got up, and let Mal guide her by the shoulder until they were outside of the cafeteria. She looked into Mal's eyes, seeing that they were glowing green and malevolent at her. Mal turned her around, threw her against a wall. "Tell me what's going on!" Mal growled.

"At parent's day Evie talked to Snow White. Apparently Snow White wants to mend fences with her stepmother and really wanted to meet Evie. Snow White offered to explore the option of giving Evie the title of princess. Snow White seems to think of Evie as a long list sister and last I heard put in paperwork with her kingdom's parliament to legitimize Evie as part of the royal family." Audrey gushed this information as though Mal had just put her through serious torture.

"Who else knows? How do you know what Evie and Snow talked about?" Mal had sweated a dozen other villain kids over stuff like this. On the Isle of the lost, Mal was feared as the most dangerous bully in a school that considered juvenile delinquency an extracurricular. Making this princess pop was so easy Mal was almost bored walking through the motions of an interrogation. Clearly this princess inherited none of her father's grit.

With quivering lips Audrey kept the information coming. "My cousin is in Snow White's Parliament. Snow White told him, and he told my dad. Daddy didn't mean to tell me, but I overheard. I didn't say anything to anyone until I heard Jay call Evie a princess. "

Mal let go of Audrey and stopped her glowing eyes. "Okay. First; learn to appreciate sarcasm. You used to be so good at it. And second; you are going to keep your perfectly glossed lips shut about this." Mal didn't fail to realize the irony of insulting a girl's perfect makeup when having perfect makeup was a daily goal of the friend she was defending. "Your cousin may have my best friend's future in his hands, but it doesn't concern you. So you're going to actively ignore this situation until Evie or I…" Mal may be trying to reform, but she needed to keep some level of power in her ultimatums. "Tell you that you are allowed to think about it. Now go back to lunch. Talk about anything else. And if anyone asks, I pulled you aside to ask you where to buy some new heels." Mal petted Audrey on her shoulder.

As Audrey turned to go back to the Cafeteria she looked over her shoulder at Mal. "You know. Snow White is only doing this to say she tried. The nobles aren't going to accept Evie no matter what claim to a title she may have. A villain will never be a princess!" Audrey seemed very brave when she was out of Mal's grabbing distance.

Mal closed the gap between herself and Audrey with a raised fist. She stopped herself from unleashing it, but the threatening posture was clear "A few have been queens!" And don't ever tell me what us villain can or can't accomplish or become!" she snarled the words but kept the volume below a roar. She knew too well that threatening someone too loudly carried the risk of serious consequences, consequences she was not going to deal with right now.

"Sorry." Audrey apologized with a whimper.

Mal took a second and realized what was going on. She had let one snobby thing from Audrey, who said snobby things with about as much thought as a Buzz Lightyear says sci fi clichés, bring out the worst in her. Mal knew that Audrey wasn't being actively malicious, and in retrospect maybe a full on Isle of the Lost style street interrogation was a bit much. "I'm sorry to." Mal said, putting her fist down. "We're all a little emotionally charged right now. Let's table this. We cool?"

"Like Ice." Audrey quickly shook her head. The two walked back to the Cafeteria. Audrey skittered back to her friends, princesses all. Mal returned to her seat next to Ben and Carlos, who as ordered, had not said, done, or thought anything. Mal grabbed another strawberry. "I need to talk to Evie after all this." She pointed at Ben, "You need to make sure any kids whose relatives serve in Snow White's Parliament are politely told not to discuss Snow's case for Evie." And she pointed to Carlos "And you need to find professor Merlin, and ask him everything he knows about legitimizing the titles of family members, especially the traditions of Snow White's kingdom."

"Got It!" The boys grinned. They both immediately went to the tasks Mal had assigned them. Mal rolled her eyes. "I had to go to high school with nobility." She complained to herself. She finished her final strawberry and went off to her dorm. "Please God; let this be less awkward than I think it's going to be."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: another Day not owning the rights to Descendants. Still I'm enjoying writing this so it's good enough for now. Thank you all so much for the support.

Chapter 3: Call of the blood.

Evie locked the door to her dorm. She flopped face down on top of her soft bed. She wasn't upset that Audrey apparently knew about Snow white exploring Evie's possible claim to nobility. Evie kind of guessed that Audrey would find out. Audrey didn't get to be queen bee of Auradon prep without a very effective information network making sure she was on top of all issues. What had really set Evie off is that Audrey brought it up in front of Evie's friends, and that Evie had lost control of that information. Evie, Mal, Jay and Carlos were probably more upset not being told than they were the actual situation with Snow White. On the island everyone had an ulterior motive. Secrets were power. Secrets were a power that the four of them had sworn never to use against each other. Their alliance was built around being the only other people they could truly trust, and Evie keeping this secret put strain on that foundation.

Evie wished that she had told Mal and the boys that Snow White and she had talked. She wished that she had told them there was the possible exploration of her being legitimized into the royal ranks. But it was too late. Then she realized the person most likely to be affected by this was in the dark. Deciding that keeping this under wraps any longer would blow up in her face, she pulled out the magic mirror from her purse. . This was a long shot, but she knew she needed to, "Mirror Mirror like no other. Put me in contact with my mother."

The mirror filled up with a haze of periwinkle smoke. "What's going on" she heard a familiar grumble. When the smoke cleared, Evie saw that she was staring at the face of her mother. "Evie how did you manage to make contact with the island?" The Evil Queen Grimhilde demanded.

Evie shook her head. "I think magic can only not get out, I think magic can get in. or maybe the whole in the barrier Jane caused isn't completely fixed. Anyway I thought I'd give it a try."

The queen nodded. "it's good to hear you darling. Now what do you need to talk to me about?"

It could never be casual with her mother. Every activity and conversation serves a purpose. Evie just accepted that as a fact of life. "I thought you should know I talked with Snow White a while ago."

The queen's eyes got as big as her swollen face would allow. "What did you have to say to that royal brat?"

Evie didn't have the heart to admit she just wanted to talk to someone to gripe about her mother. "We talked about the possibility of Auradon recognizing me as a member of Snow White's royal family and me officially receiving a title."

The Queen looked intrigued. "I thought you were a princess through me."

"There was a lot of technical maneuvering of what your reign was. You're considered Snow White's regent after her father died, but not the official crowned ruler. If I'm going to have any claim in the kingdom, it would be from being Snow White's sister, not your daughter."

The artfully applied color flushed from the Queen's face. Evie just continued matter of factly, "Such claims have been made with long lost siblings. But the legal standing of adoptees and stepchildren flows around a lot depending on the needs of the crown. With Snow White's kingdom part of the united states of Auradon and royalty taking on an administrative role instead of absolute power, I have no clue where my case stands."

"I'm very proud of you Evie." Grimhilde said. "Learning this, and taking the step to claim what's yours. That's action I never thought you were capable of."

 _You never thought I was very capable of much_. Evie rolled her eyes. "It's been a few days and I haven't heard back from her. I'm a little worried though. Word is getting around about Snow White investigating, and I really don't want too much attention on me about this."

The Evil Queen smiled, or as much of a smile as her surgically preserved face could really manage. "Evie my child. Never be embarrassed about who you are or trying to better yourself. I taught you to be a princess, and By the gods You will be one." This declaration of pride and assurance came as a mild shock to Evie. It was soon undermined by the queen's continuation "Besides, considering you allowed Mal to collect the best prince for herself, you need to get your crown somehow. Why didn't you enchant Ben?"

"It was Mal's plan. I really didn't want to argue with her about it."

This seemed to placate her mother. Grimhilde gave another botox inhibited smile. "That was probably wise. I have to run Dearest. With Maleficent gone I'm basically in charge of the island. There's a meeting with the major faction leaders I need to attend."

"I love you Mommy!" Evie stammered.

"Goodbye Evie." And the Queen faded from the mirror. Once out of view of her daughter's communication Grimhilde strode across the messy loft that was once Maleficent's headquarters. She grabbed her makeshift scepter and adjusted her new cape. Before she left the room a thought crossed her wicked mind. "I'm going to have to call Evie's father about this somehow."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Trying to get this out at a reasonable rate. Sorry for letting it sit so long. I still don't own any official rights to Descendants, all rights go to Disney. Other Notes, I'm throwing a lot of names out in this chapter, but don't expect this to be a cast of thousands story anytime soon. Also I'm playing fast and loose with my understanding of feudal politics and family dynamics. Also I don't count any of the direct to video sequels as mattering, so anything that contradicts dialogue in films besides the original doesn't matter. And finally I'm doing some crazy Shipping and having fun connecting coincidences from other Disney Movies to make this a more connected world. Hope you enjoy.

Snow White sat at the dinner table of Prince Eric and Princess Ariel's seaside castle. Snow White and Eric were distant cousins thanks to their families' political marriages long ago. After Grimhilde's death, Snow White had reached out to her extended family. That family included the royal line of the Southern Isles with its thirteen princes. Snow White had especially bonded with Eric, the eleventh prince. When Eric finally settled down with Ariel, the two women became fast friends. In the complex courts of Auradon, it was these two families whom could always be trusted to have each other's backs.

"I haven't seen any of your children. Where are they?"Snow White asked. The children in question were Eric and Ariel's own five children, Melody, Ericka, Aaron, Analise, and Erin, as well as Ariel's teenage niece Annette. Annette was attending Auradon Prep. Because the magic involved with the human to mermaid transition required the presence of an exceptional sorcerer, it was easier for everybody if Annette just stayed with Eric and Ariel during shorter breaks from school. Ariel and Eric were very happy in this arrangement, and loved Annette like one of their own.

Snow white smiled as she ate the vegetarian fare that Ariel had provided for dinner. Ariel was pregnant, again, and thus eating far more than her normally slim frame would require. "Mine are enjoying their visit with grandpa." Ariel remarked. Snow was about to ask which grandfather before Ariel cut her off. "Eric's father in the southern isles. They'll be coming home Sunday night. Annette should be joining us shortly."

"Oh" Snow White smiled. "And how's Annette doing?"

"She's doing okay." Ariel paused and sighed before admitting "Really she's become kind of depressed the last few weeks. I worry about her."

"Why what's happening?" Snow White asked.

"She's had a string of bad luck. Her attempts to bring undersea gardening to Auradon didn't work and Garden club is mad at her. Her boyfriend turned out to be a creep stringing along other girls."

"Chad?" Snow White asked.

"Chad." Ariel and Eric replied in exasperated unison. Chad Charming's decision too secretly and simultaneously along a dozen odd girls was international gossip at this point. All the parents at court were unsurprisingly upset at the family.

"Is that why Charmington is having delays getting their trade ships in?"

Eric growled before Ariel elbowed him in the side. "I did not tell the captains in my kingdom to take it easy and slow down on the way to Charmington." He said dryly. "I also did not tell my magical father-in-law with power over the oceans about it. The severe week long thunderstorm that ruined the paint of Charmington Castle was an unfortunate meteorological coincidence."

Ariel continued. "She also has a crush on a new boy now. But she's really frustrated because she doesn't know how to approach him."

"Oh really?" Eric asked. "Do we know this boy's parents?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "You know there are some kids at Auradon Prep who aren't your friend's offspring?"

"Would I know who his parents are by reputation?" Eric asked.

"It's Jay. Jafar's son." Ariel bit her lip for a moment to let that revelation sink into her husband's skull.

"Hmmm" Eric gathered his thoughts on his niece's potential paramour. "Jay was polite enough to me when we met at Family weekend. He's a pretty rough Tourney Player, but stayed within the rules. And he didn't betray us even when that would have been his safest bet. I approve."

Ariel glared at her husband with those big blue eyes he loved so much. "Annette doesn't need your approval for who she likes dear."

"I just meant. I…I" Eric tried to defend himself.

"Trust me cousin. You cannot win this one. So eat your dinner and don't say anything until one of us says you may." Snow White chided.

Ariel decided to change the subject away from her own family to Snow White's. "So I heard a rumor that you're planning to legitimize your stepsister into your line. Is that true?"

Snow White clenched her jaw, hissed for a second and nodded. "Yes it's true. Actually my stepmother maneuvered it so giving Evie a title would be pretty easy."

Ariel was obviously intrigued, "How so?"

"Well, my Stepmother consolidated a lot of my kingdom's political power under her direct authority or of her family, her brother Gregory specifically. She claimed the Duke of Bald Mountain, his title, as the next bloodline to the throne in the kingdom. After the direct royal family, my father, she, I and my children, next in line would be Uncle Gregory and his children."

Eric, not heeding his cousin's suggestion of silence asked. "Didn't you disenfranchise your uncle?"

"I'm getting to that." Snow White chided. "After my stepmother died the first time, I assumed the throne and retroactively made my stepmother's reign her acting as regent in my stead. Almost nobody would see a coup by my uncle as legitimate, but my stepmother was so disliked and public perception was so bad, that Gregory resigned his dukedom and entered a monastery. His sons never showed up to inherit their lands or titles and effectively stepped down from nobility. It turns out they moved to Arendelle."

"Who became duke of Bald Mountain?" Ariel asked.

Snow White grinned at her cousin's wife. It didn't feel like so long ago when she thought you comb hair with a fork. "Florien did. Florien and I absorbed the title into my crown. All I have to do is reinstate it, and give it to Evie. Since my Stepmother's ruling still stands, she'd be fourth in line after my children."

"And anyone within four steps of succession is colloquially called a princess." Eric nodded, Auradon's odd cultural desire to have as many princesses as possible amused even him. "Sounds like a plan."

Ariel sighed. The former mermaid had a powerful charisma that meant she could command attention to her with the calmest gesture. Snow White and Eric turned to her. "Snow, are you really sure the best first step to make nice with your long lost stepsister is to make her a duchess, let alone a princess. I know that she proved herself at the coronation as trustworthy. But do you really think it's a good idea to embrace her like this just because she's technically a relative."

"Technically she's my sister." Snow White remarked coolly. "And No I don't think it's the best idea, but it's the right thing to do. Look at how we treated the villains, we took everything from them and trapped them in a slum to eat scraps and garbage. We took almost everything they had, regardless of their right to have it, everything from trinkets to titles the chance to rest in peace. But they didn't just sit there to rot. They have families now, and those kids are owed something."

"But a duchy?"

"I spent my life between five and fifteen denied my birthright by my stepmother. I'm not going to let her legacy do that to her own daughter."

Ariel was about to interrupt when a pretty young brunette with a lean face, large brown eyes and pearls in her headband walked in. She was wearing a gently flowing dress the light blue of Eric's own beaches. This was Annette, second in line to the throne of Atlantica, Ariel's beloved niece. "Hey Aunt Ariel, Uncle Eric." She beamed at her family. Then she turned to Snow White and curtseyed, "Queen Snow White."

Snow white smiled, "Princess Annette…you know we've met a dozen times. We don't have to dote on formality."

Annette nodded. "Yes ma'am." She pulled up a seat at her table. "Thank you for letting me come home this weekend." She said to Eric. "There's a lot of weird stuff going on at school."

"Like what?" Eric asked. He had a feeling of what was coming up.

"Allie Darling is trying to grow snapdragons and we know that's going to be a bad idea."

"Allie Darling?" Snow White asked. "Is she related to John Darling, the magical realms scholar?"

"Yeah and her mother is THE Alice, The one who discovered Wonderland. Which means those Snapdragons more than likely will bite people and breathe fire." Annette sighed. "Audrey is going slightly insane being single and is taking it out on her friends. Astrid Christofdotter has developed her aunt's ice powers and now there's a patch of courtyard that's always frozen over. And the students are looking to us royals to keep everything in line. It's exhausting." Annette slammed her pretty head into the table as though such thoughts literally weighed down her mind. Ariel immediately began stroking her niece's hair.

"Has anyone said anything about Evie, my stepsister getting a royal title?" Snow White asked politely.

Annette looked up. "Actually yeah, Audrey told us about it. But King Ben asked us not to talk about it…actually could you explain if it's true?"

"Yes. Actually. I'm calling a meeting of Parliament soon. I just need to get in contact with Evie herself."

"I guess that means we're going to have to invite her to Tea Time." Annette sighed.

Snow White put her finger to her lips in thought. "Actually, Annette if it's not too much of a bother, could you help Evie fit in with Auradonian royalty?"

Ariel put her hand on Snow White's. "Snow, please don't tell me you're going to interfere with high school politics as well?"

Annette rolled her eyes "Actually that sounds like a good idea. It's going to affect my social circle anyway. Besides I'd rather not have a new princess who combs her hair with a fork." Annette was clearly exasperated with her bad luck and odd responsibilities, but sounded sincere. Ariel glared at her niece for a moment. "I'll look after her and try to get her ready for court."

Eric nodded his head. He didn't hate Snow White's idea, even if it meant more work for his niece. "Those villain kids need friends. Just promise me you'll tread carefully. I trust those kids for now, but I also know too well what happens when villains get too close to power."

"Are you talking about when Ursula started a maelstrom, or when your brother almost murdered the queen of Arendelle?" Annette asked. She was a dutiful niece who loved her extended family, but she also loved to give her uncle a hard time.

"Both are applicable." Eric said defensively. "Just promise me you'll watch your back with Evie."

With a coy smile Annette replied. "No problem Uncle Eric." She then turned to Ariel. "So Aunt Ariel, how is everything here."

Ariel blew her bangs out the side of her mouth and smiled. "Everything's fine dear. Why don't you go to your room and get some rest. I'll bring you some tea and dinner in a bit."

"Thanks Aunt Ariel." Annette answered. And the young princess slumped off. Knowing that after this weekend she'd have to make a villain kid part of her world.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I still don't own the rights to the Descendants franchise. I need significantly more stock in Disney before my attempt to take it over can come to fruition. In the Mean time I claim no profit from this nor claim any copyright or trademark on the characters introduced by Disney.

I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, thank you for your patience. I love that I have so many subscribers and followers on this particular story. But please review, I really want to know what you all think of my take on the characters.

Anyway….

Chapter 5.

Three days had passed since Aubrey had accidently revealed Snow White's intent to legitimize and title Evie. Since nothing had really come of it, the matter was more or less ignored for the sake of what passed for normalcy at Auradon Prep. Evie had explained the situation to Mal, Ben, Jay and Carlos and Aubrey had kept her promise to not mention it anymore. But like many things that slip to the back of your mind, it became an issue again in the oddest way.

It was a perfect sunny afternoon and Evie had disappeared to her favorite little nook on the castle grounds. She walked off the beaten nature trail and through the underbrush to a little clearing with a crystal clear babbling creek, a scattering of wildflowers and clear bright sunlight. She didn't like trudging through the dirt and scrub plants that much, but this idyllic tiny area was perfect. Once she was there, she laid out a plaid picnic blanket and peeled off a few layers of her favorite custom made clothing to reveal a modest blue two piece bathing suit. She carefully applied some soft lotion and lay down on her blanket to absorb some of that beautiful clean sunlight. Normally she would sit here about half an hour, undisturbed and relaxed. Today proved to be different.

She heard a rustling in the underbrush and turned her head. When she saw it was another person, she gasped and pulled her blanket to cover herself before even allowing who it was to register. It was an angular faced, taper cut brunette with large brown doe eyes, wearing high black leather boots, jeans and a soft tourquise halter top, with a small pearl choker around her throat. "Hey Evie, may I come in?" She asked.

It took Evie a second to recognize who this was. "Oh hey Annette." The two knew who each other were, but wouldn't exactly call each other friends, more like benign acquaintances. Evie relaxed and let her blanket back to the ground. Her bathing suit was hardly immodest to a mermaid. "What's up?"

Annette sauntered into Evie's clearing. "You know that Snow white is a cousin of my Uncle Eric right?" Evie nodded, the convoluted family trees of Auradon's elite was something she made a point of learning. "Well, Snow White asked me to check in on you. figured it couldn't hurt."

Evie smiled. "Thanks. How is my step-sister doing?"

"She's doing well. She's got a strong case for you being crowned duchess of Bald Mountain. That will make you fourth in line and…"

"A princess of Auradon." Evie cut her off. "Wow. Thanks for telling me. Care to just sit for a bit?"

"Don't mind if I do." Annette replied. She took off her halter top to reveal a purple bikini top, threw off her boots, and took off her jeans, showing a matching swimsuit. Annette then plopped down on the patch of grass to the right of Evie's blanket. Before Evie could offer the blanket Annette smiled, "Don't worry. I prefer to just lie down on the grass. Feel the earth alive below me. You don't get that in the ocean." She stretched her thin frame out. "Ah, I love the sunlight on my skin."

"I didn't know mermaids sunbathed that much." Evie said nonchalantly.

Annette nodded. "We didn't used to so publically. We used to do it in secret away from humans. That was before Ariel officially revealed us to surface society. Don't forget my grandfather pretty much banned trips to the surface, Aunt Ariel was the only mermaid who dared go above for about sixteen years. After she married Eric, sunbathing became a favorite merfolk hobby again. I personally don't feel right without a tan." After a momentary pause Annette asked, "How'd you find this clearing anyway?"

"Doug showed it to me. Apparently his older cousins cleared it out before he got here. Really it's supposed to be used for dwarven family get-togethers but Doug okayed me to use it." Then Evie realized a legitimate question. "How did you know I'd be here?"

Annette smiled. "They really don't teach you anything about mermaids on the Isle, do they?" Evie shook her head. Evie's education on Merfolk was based almost entirely on the angry rantings of Ursula. Even before her attempts to be a good person, Evie guessed that those guest lectures were far from unbiased or scientifically sound. Annette put her finger to her nose "I could smell you. Some merfolk manifest an intense sense of smell that lets us determine and track prey in the ocean. Once I got used to the difference between water and air, I can basically identify my classmates by scent. That apple blossom perfume you wear makes you a particularly easy target."

Evie was actually a little bit shocked and embarrassed that her perfume was strong enough to make her easy to track by scent. "I never heard of merfolk having a superior sense of smell."

"Aunt Ariel never developed that gift. And since she's our poster child, it's flown under the sonar. Also I've been trained in hunting by scent since I was a kid. Hunting is my father's hobby, he's taught me all about tracking and throwing harpoons and how to avoid detection by big fish." Annette sighed a little. "It was Dad's way of connecting with me. To help keep my fins down while Mom taught me all of the princess stuff and how to be a girl."

Evie nodded a little to identify that she understood. "I never knew my father." Evie admitted. "All I ever learned was that girly princess stuff."

Annette readjusted herself on the ground. "Then it should be a piece of cake getting you ready for Auradon court. But if you'd like a bit of help easing into high society, I'd love to help you out."

"Hmm." Evie thought it over. "Thank you, but do you really want to? I know that you're friends with Aubrey, and she doesn't really seem too fond of me. I really don't want to make things more awkward for you?"

Annette smiled. "Awkward is getting to be a mermaid again for the first time in months and finding out your boyfriend is a 'leg guy'. Awkward is being asked if you lay eggs when you come back from the store with tampons. Awkward is explaining away the rumor that Ursula is not your great aunt. Awkward is being asked to sing 'Part of your World' Even though it was written by and for a soprano and you're an Alto at best. Trust me Evie, bringing you up to speed on high society will be among the least awkward things I've had to put up with since coming here."

Evie giggled. "Ursula hated that rumor too. Her daughter Uma would throttle anyone who brought up her 'cousin'." The two girls shared an awkward laugh over the ubiquity of that misunderstanding. "So what kind of stuff do you think I'll need to know to fit into courtly society?"

"I think it's going to be less about teaching you, and more about showcasing you. You're not an idiot, and you weren't exactly raised by wolves."

"Actually there aren't even any wolves on the Island. The main predators were hyenas." Evie had no clue why she expressed this factoid, but figured it would keep this remarkably interesting conversation going.

Evie's baiting factoid worked. "Hyenas? Really." Annette asked intrigued. "How did they end up on the Isle of the lost?"

"Shenzi Banzai and Ed and some of their most dangerous pack mates were sent to the Isle after Scar was deposed. They pretty much took. Some of us even kept them as pets. I had one actually, Nezuri. She's a sweetie. I miss her."

"I thought you had a blue parrot?" Annette asked. She was clearly a little annoyed at the possibility that she'd done her homework wrong.

Evie vigerously nodded. "Othello. He's less of a pet and more of a sidekick. After all he's Iago's offspring. He talks and everything. But yeah, I have both."

"I have a tiger shark named ripper." Annette mused. "He sometimes visits me at Ariel and Eric's. He's really playful, my little brother is watching and feeding him while I'm at school."

"Aren't sharks really really dangerous?" Evie asked.

With a dismissive flip of the wrist Annette just said. "Not to a royal merfolk hunter. Ripper is a purebred hunting beast, He has no taste for merfolk flesh. What about hyenas?"

"Very dangerous." Evie admitted. "Training Nezuri was one of the hardest things I ever did. But once I got her to obey commands, she was an amazing pet."

"Alright. This sounds like a good start. You know that pets are actually allowed at Auradon Prep? Right?"

Evie nodded. It was true that a lot of the students actually had animals kept in the large stable and kennel building. Audrey, Anxelin, Lonnie, and Ben had horses. Chad had a hound dog, Aziz had had a spider monkey, and there were a dozen odd cats and lap dogs that wandered the halls belonging to the various non-royals. Most of the students chose not to though, as their family pets were being happily cared for by their families. Come to think of it, Evie was a little worried that her mother may have forgotten about the animals. "Do you really think that they'll let me bring a parrot and hyena?"

"Might as well ask." Annette grinned. "Trust me, exotic pets are one of the best ice breakers in court society. Getting Audrey to swim with Ripper is probably cemented us as friends."

Evie nodded. "Alright sounds good. But I think I'm going to need more than one friend and a couple of animals to prove myself a princess." Evie then saw Annette's slender hand grab her own.

Annette smiled with teeth as pearly and white as her necklace. "I promise. Mermaid's honor. I'll help you out and see you crowned here."

Evie slipped her hand around her new friend's for a firm shake. "Thanks Annette."

"You're welcome Evie." the two disengaged their fingers. "Let's just keep catching some sun for a while and think of other steps to take. But once we get back to civilization, we'll get everything set up."

"Sounds good." Evie yawned. She tucked her long hair back onto the blanket and yawned. "I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."


End file.
